Theme: Eeew! Bug assault!
17A. Bug : LISTENING DEVICE. The glass-against-the-wall ploy doesn't work, despite what you see in the movies.
26A. Bug : PROGRAM FAULT. I've been responsible for a few of these. The very first program I ran at school went into an infinite loop. It was a portent of things to come. Apple have a sense of humor with their street address:
44A. Bug : VIRAL ILLNESS. Just a 24-hour flu, if you're lucky.
57A. Bug : VOLKSWAGEN MODEL. We had a clashing pink purse/yellow VW Bug last week.I'll spare you the repeat imagery.
What a great puzzle from Bruce and Gail. I really take my hat off to a weekday puzzle like this that is nothing but fun, and challenging to get through. I stared down the top-middle before the simplest fill (SOD) finally unlocked it for me. Bravo, guys. Thanks for the workout.
Across:
1. Alpine racing obstacle : GATE. Two poles on the course you have to ski between. Wouldn't it be fun if it was an actual gate that you had to stop and open, or leap over? (Be careful to close it behind you).
5. Whisks : BEATS
10. Thought-provoking : DEEP
14. Arkin of "Argo" : ALAN
15. Prenatal test, for short : AMNIO. -centesis. Tough choices when faced with this one.
16. Former "Fashion Emergency" host : EMME. Who? Crosses for me.
20. Industrial Revolution power source : STEAM
21. Kilt wearer's refusal : NAE. I was expecting "NO UNDERWEAR" and mercifully ran out of space.
22. Destructive insect : BORER
23. Bering Sea port : NOME. As the locals say "There's no place like Nome".
25. Invigorates : ROUSES
31. Cocoon and Posturepedic : SEALYS. Confident "aha!" and "SEELYS: went in. A later correction with a crossing tempered my hubris. Thank you, OARS.
32. Parks in American history : ROSA
33. Cuba libre ingredient : RUM. I loved the RUM, COKE and LIME clechos here. Great mini-theme.
36. Confident : SURE
37. Flags down : HAILS
39. Cuba libre ingredient : COKE. Lovely. See 33A
40. Decorates with Angel Soft, briefly : TPS. Charmin in my house. I don't know exactly how much a roll costs, but I'm not about to throw it around the neighborhood.
41. "Now that you mention it ... " : WELL .... Generally not a good start. Be diplomatic.
42. Places for French lessons : ÉCOLES
46. Backless furniture : STOOLS
49. Pallet piece : SLAT
50. Put up with : ABIDE. A word with two senses - literally "live (with)". In the pejorative sense in this case "I can't abide this person". But also in the hymn of hope sense "Abide with me". This is traditionally sung before the kick-off of the English soccer cup final in London each year. I'm not sure how the tradition started, but it's pretty cool to hear 80,000 people singing the last stanza of each verse.
51. One to hang with : PAL
53. Pro shop set : IRONS. I have Taylor Made irons. I didn't buy them in the Pro shop though - cheaper online! The US Open starts today - I'm in a for-fun pool to pick a team of ten golfers to win the most prize money between them. My ten are: Day, McIlroy, Spieth, Garcia, Fowler, Matsuyama, Snedeker, Reed, Berger and Knox.
60. 4-F's opposite : ONE-A
61. Intense : ACUTE
62. Cuba libre ingredient : LIME. Lovely. See 33A.
63. Part of a wine list : REDS
64. Migratory birds : GEESE
65. It's measured in inches : SNOW. Stop sniggering at the back. Plenty of this in Nome.
Down:
1. Some square dancers : GALS. Guys the other 50%, or so.
2. Settled on a branch : ALIT
3. Zap : TASE
4. Involve in a complicated way : ENTANGLE. Nice!
5. Negative decree : BAN
6. "8 Mile" rapper : EMINEM. An amazing talent. Whether or not hip-hop is your thing, I love this track. Probably rated R for language.
7. "Breaking Bad" Emmy winner Gunn : ANNA. Who?
8. Buster Brown's dog : TIGE. No idea. Contributed to a blank section for quite some time.
9. Ground cover : SOD. This little three-letter "oh!" finally unlocked the whole top-middle section for me. What a great construction key.
10. Deeply religious : DEVOUT
11. Dubai dignitaries : EMIRS
12. Link between speakers : EMCEE. Was vaguely on the right track with SEGUE but vague doesn't cut it. Corrected.
13. Reviewers of academic essays : PEERS.
18. Atlanta university : EMORY
19. Scary name in 2014 news : EBOLA
24. Kitchen gadgets : MASHERS. I have forks. Over the years I've discarded gadgets in favor of simpler and more efficient tools. Herb mincers? Garlic presses? Mashers? Pah. They use up space and are usually troublesome to clean. Big-Assed cleaver! Fork! Now you're talking.
25. Five-time NBA MVP Bill : RUSSELL. Tried WALTON first and was left with an empty square.
26. Wordless summons : PSST!
27. Do another stint : RE-UP
28. Couple in a dinghy : OARS. Corrected my miss-spelt SEELY/SEALY from earlier.
29. Superfluity : FRILL. I flat-out LOVED this clue. How many times have we seen "superfluous" and never given the other forms of the word a passing thought? Fantastic. Made my day.
30. Moviefone parent co. : AOL. Amazing who ends up being owned by whom. No doubt it will be different next year.
(Below were added later: Original write-up from 30-D went missing)
33. Othello or Iago : ROLE. From the play.
34. Hula strings : UKEs
35. Difficult spot : MESS
38. __ carte : À LA
39. Instrument panel array : CONTROLS
41. Cunning : WILES
43. Adjuster's concern : CLAIM
44. Beverages sometimes made from potatoes : VODKAs
45. Archipelago parts : ISLETs
46. Relish : SAVOR
47. Chophouse choice : T-BONE. Nice pairing.
48. Quieted, in a way : OILED
51. Rate : PACE
52. Reason for cold compresses and extra blankets : AGUE
54. Chief god of Asgard : ODIN
55. Literary sea captain : NEMO
56. Large quantity : SLEW
58. Sign of a canine excitement : WAG
59. Bridal bio word : NÉE
I'm in Milwaukee for a couple of days, so just checked the wonderful state of Wisconsin off my bucket list. The weather here is better than back in LA - not often you can say that, I wager.
And .... here's the grid. No circles!
Steve
17A. Bug : LISTENING DEVICE. The glass-against-the-wall ploy doesn't work, despite what you see in the movies.
26A. Bug : PROGRAM FAULT. I've been responsible for a few of these. The very first program I ran at school went into an infinite loop. It was a portent of things to come. Apple have a sense of humor with their street address:
44A. Bug : VIRAL ILLNESS. Just a 24-hour flu, if you're lucky.
57A. Bug : VOLKSWAGEN MODEL. We had a clashing pink purse/yellow VW Bug last week.I'll spare you the repeat imagery.
What a great puzzle from Bruce and Gail. I really take my hat off to a weekday puzzle like this that is nothing but fun, and challenging to get through. I stared down the top-middle before the simplest fill (SOD) finally unlocked it for me. Bravo, guys. Thanks for the workout.
Across:
1. Alpine racing obstacle : GATE. Two poles on the course you have to ski between. Wouldn't it be fun if it was an actual gate that you had to stop and open, or leap over? (Be careful to close it behind you).
5. Whisks : BEATS
10. Thought-provoking : DEEP
14. Arkin of "Argo" : ALAN
15. Prenatal test, for short : AMNIO. -centesis. Tough choices when faced with this one.
16. Former "Fashion Emergency" host : EMME. Who? Crosses for me.
20. Industrial Revolution power source : STEAM
21. Kilt wearer's refusal : NAE. I was expecting "NO UNDERWEAR" and mercifully ran out of space.
22. Destructive insect : BORER
23. Bering Sea port : NOME. As the locals say "There's no place like Nome".
25. Invigorates : ROUSES
31. Cocoon and Posturepedic : SEALYS. Confident "aha!" and "SEELYS: went in. A later correction with a crossing tempered my hubris. Thank you, OARS.
32. Parks in American history : ROSA
33. Cuba libre ingredient : RUM. I loved the RUM, COKE and LIME clechos here. Great mini-theme.
36. Confident : SURE
37. Flags down : HAILS
39. Cuba libre ingredient : COKE. Lovely. See 33A
40. Decorates with Angel Soft, briefly : TPS. Charmin in my house. I don't know exactly how much a roll costs, but I'm not about to throw it around the neighborhood.
41. "Now that you mention it ... " : WELL .... Generally not a good start. Be diplomatic.
42. Places for French lessons : ÉCOLES
46. Backless furniture : STOOLS
49. Pallet piece : SLAT
50. Put up with : ABIDE. A word with two senses - literally "live (with)". In the pejorative sense in this case "I can't abide this person". But also in the hymn of hope sense "Abide with me". This is traditionally sung before the kick-off of the English soccer cup final in London each year. I'm not sure how the tradition started, but it's pretty cool to hear 80,000 people singing the last stanza of each verse.
Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me
Hold now your Word before my closing eyes.
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
53. Pro shop set : IRONS. I have Taylor Made irons. I didn't buy them in the Pro shop though - cheaper online! The US Open starts today - I'm in a for-fun pool to pick a team of ten golfers to win the most prize money between them. My ten are: Day, McIlroy, Spieth, Garcia, Fowler, Matsuyama, Snedeker, Reed, Berger and Knox.
60. 4-F's opposite : ONE-A
61. Intense : ACUTE
62. Cuba libre ingredient : LIME. Lovely. See 33A.
63. Part of a wine list : REDS
64. Migratory birds : GEESE
65. It's measured in inches : SNOW. Stop sniggering at the back. Plenty of this in Nome.
Down:
1. Some square dancers : GALS. Guys the other 50%, or so.
2. Settled on a branch : ALIT
3. Zap : TASE
4. Involve in a complicated way : ENTANGLE. Nice!
5. Negative decree : BAN
6. "8 Mile" rapper : EMINEM. An amazing talent. Whether or not hip-hop is your thing, I love this track. Probably rated R for language.
7. "Breaking Bad" Emmy winner Gunn : ANNA. Who?
8. Buster Brown's dog : TIGE. No idea. Contributed to a blank section for quite some time.
9. Ground cover : SOD. This little three-letter "oh!" finally unlocked the whole top-middle section for me. What a great construction key.
10. Deeply religious : DEVOUT
11. Dubai dignitaries : EMIRS
12. Link between speakers : EMCEE. Was vaguely on the right track with SEGUE but vague doesn't cut it. Corrected.
13. Reviewers of academic essays : PEERS.
18. Atlanta university : EMORY
19. Scary name in 2014 news : EBOLA
24. Kitchen gadgets : MASHERS. I have forks. Over the years I've discarded gadgets in favor of simpler and more efficient tools. Herb mincers? Garlic presses? Mashers? Pah. They use up space and are usually troublesome to clean. Big-Assed cleaver! Fork! Now you're talking.
25. Five-time NBA MVP Bill : RUSSELL. Tried WALTON first and was left with an empty square.
26. Wordless summons : PSST!
27. Do another stint : RE-UP
28. Couple in a dinghy : OARS. Corrected my miss-spelt SEELY/SEALY from earlier.
29. Superfluity : FRILL. I flat-out LOVED this clue. How many times have we seen "superfluous" and never given the other forms of the word a passing thought? Fantastic. Made my day.
30. Moviefone parent co. : AOL. Amazing who ends up being owned by whom. No doubt it will be different next year.
(Below were added later: Original write-up from 30-D went missing)
33. Othello or Iago : ROLE. From the play.
34. Hula strings : UKEs
35. Difficult spot : MESS
38. __ carte : À LA
39. Instrument panel array : CONTROLS
41. Cunning : WILES
43. Adjuster's concern : CLAIM
44. Beverages sometimes made from potatoes : VODKAs
45. Archipelago parts : ISLETs
46. Relish : SAVOR
47. Chophouse choice : T-BONE. Nice pairing.
48. Quieted, in a way : OILED
51. Rate : PACE
52. Reason for cold compresses and extra blankets : AGUE
54. Chief god of Asgard : ODIN
55. Literary sea captain : NEMO
56. Large quantity : SLEW
58. Sign of a canine excitement : WAG
59. Bridal bio word : NÉE
I'm in Milwaukee for a couple of days, so just checked the wonderful state of Wisconsin off my bucket list. The weather here is better than back in LA - not often you can say that, I wager.
And .... here's the grid. No circles!
Steve
41 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks, Gail, Bruce and Steve!
A bit of a slog, but I managed it!
RUSSELL was perped, as were ANNA and TIGE.
Cheers!
{B, B-, A, C+.}
A VIRAL ILLNESS has me in a stew,
I'm SURE that I'm down with a fatal AGUE!
Whatever I've got
Has my tum in a knot --
But I'll still have some of that rib barbecue!
A CUBA LIBRE is a drink, very nice,
RUM, and COKE, and LIME juice on ice!
It may not be "neat",
But it has VODKA beat --
You can sit on a bar STOOL and fall off only twice!
ALAN McCalan claims he HAILS from NOME --
He was caught in a SNOW storm and froze to the bone!
In his icy shroud
He was caught in a cloud,
Till he fell on St.Paul as a big ol' HAIL stone!
My PAL worshipped ODIN, he was very DEVOUT,
And that's how all of this MESS came about!
In his self-driving VOLKSWAGEN
Doused CONTROLS from his flagon,
PROGRAM FAULT rode the "mead"-ian the rest of the route!
Morning, a1l!
I agree with fermatprime's "bit of a slog" comment, but not in a negative way. It was enjoyable with no head scratchers or nits to pick, just slow going. The way a Thursday level puzzle should be, in other words. Had trouble figuring out stuff like OILED and FRILL from their clues, but nothing to groan about once I finally got them.
Good morning!
Zero over-writes, for a change! Made my day. Remember TIGE from olden days in the shoe store -- always thought it was a stupid name for a dog. Enjoyed the puzzle, Gail and Bruce.
Steve, whatever did you mean by that "sniggering" remark? [Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more.]
Back in the 70's I spent two weeks babysitting a couple of new backhoes on a pipeline project in western Maryland. Pipeliners don't call 'em GATEs; they're gaps. And, yes, you have to open them to go through and remember to close them behind you. Gets old after the tenth time through the same gap on the same day.
Another memory from the 70's -- waking up in a cold sweat after a nightmare in which I'd REUPped. Rarely happens now.
Got 'er done in about the usual Thursday time. Loved the theme, and the cluing in general. Only write-over was spelling EMORY as EMERY (DOH!). Thanx, B & G!! Great write up, too, Steve, thanx!!
Now that you mention it, 41A is LAME. FOUL.
Loved this thought provoking puzzle by Gail and Bruce. Aced it. Skipped straight to the comments to post a few initial thoughts. Eighteen holes await. Will have to read Steve and all the postings later.
TPS or TTPS ? Twice TPS ?
I wanted SCALE where BORER was entered. The destructive insect Magnolia Scale has returned again this year. Studying my options...
Almost lost it by having entered EtOLEs.
Thought of Dudley flying when I entered CONTROLS for "Instrument panel array."
San Jose made the local news with a story about a homeowner whose house has been hit 19 times. The latest was a pickup truck that smashed in a wall. The story was that the city council et al have been too busy with other more important matters, and can not spend time responding to the homeowner's request to install speed control measures. That story just doesn't sound like it can be reality, does it ?
As Husker Gary says.... "FORE !" Hope I have no need to yell that today...
Nice write-up Steve. Good Job!
Bruce & Gail: Thank You for a FUN Thursday puzzle (that caused me to think, too much).
Really enjoyed ALL the BUG themes.
Fave today, of course, were the Cuba libre ingredients: RUM, COKE and LIME ...
and remember it is the LIME that actually makes it into a Cuba libre ...
otherwise its just a Rum & Coke.
WELL, that gives me an idea ... I have ALL of those ingredients here at Villa Incognito ...
and it is "Five o'clock Somewhere" ...
Soooo ..... Cheers!
My answers only went to 30 DOWN. WHERE'S THE REST.
Great theme, interesting puzzle. A little crunchy. Love the word SUPERFLUITY.
TIGE from the Buster Brown shoe commercial back in the day.
"Does your shoe have a boy inside? What a funny place for a boy to hide! Does your shoe have a dog there too? A boy and a dog and a foot in a shoe. Well, the boy is Buster Brown. And the dog is Tige, his friend. And they're really just a picture but it's fun to play pretend. So look look look in the telephone book for the store that sells the shoe, with the picture of the boy and the dog inside so you can put your foot in too. Buster Brown Shoes!"
Our Canada GEESE are no longer migratory. They have found a permanent home in suburbia. I wish they would migrate and stop leaving their ugly "calling cards" everywhere, playing fields, sidewalks, campuses...
CSO to all my square dancing friends. It isn't the stereotypical hayseed dance. No GALS in the calls, just ladies or girls. We usually have more ladies than men, so quite a few of us dance both parts, so we are always in demand.
Also CSO to our ALAN.
Good Morning:
Bruce and Gail never disappoint and today is no exception. I, like others, liked the rum, Coke, lime trio and I just knew that would tickle Tin's fancy. CSO to YR with the square dance gals. I have never seen the word "superfluity" and had no idea what it meant. Learning moment of the day. I like this type of a puzzle as it forces you to think of the various meanings of a simple word, like bug. No bah or hum needed!
Thanks B and G for a terrific Thursday treat and thanks, Steve, for the wise and witty write-up.
Have a great day.
I just had to bring our kitty back in from her walk because of too many, uh, BUGS (gnats)!
Musings
-Great fun from Bruce and Gail today
-This $30 LISTENING DEVICE wowed my kids every year!
-Ferdinand Porsche turned down Stalin and made the VW for Hitler
-Power plants are slowly moving from coal and nuclear to natural gas to make their STEAM
-The Emerald Ash BOER has killed millions of trees and was found in Omaha last week as it marches ever westward
-Our geese are here year round also.
-We got ENTANGLED in Europe’s messes too many times
-No FORE today! Playing in 100˚F heat yesterday took something out of me. I told my friend he can’t keep getting late morning Lincoln tee times in this kind of weather!
-In what song was the Bonanza Gold found, “Below that old white mountain, Just a little southeast of NOME?”
After two days of home computer woes and no ability to comment on JW's surprising Wednesday effort (WEES, the US OPEN is underway, Andrew Landry leads at the moment).
Today we have GG and BV on an infrequent Thursday stage and this really is a wonderfully crafted puzzle.
I remembered the plus sized model spokeswoman EMME and luckily like others, recalled Buster Brown shoes and the delightful pit bull TIGE from early TV commercials.
I also thought the EMME EMMINEM duo along with three clecho was cool.
Thanks all
BTW, my answers also truncate at 30 down. I did online and got my tadah....
"Puzzling Thoughts (2)":
I call this PT 2 for this reason: I was typing my message/post about twenty minutes ago on my iPhone, and when I was ready to send it, my fat finger hit the "sign out" button (which is located very close to the "publish" button, and lost all of my work. Plus, I am now signed out on my phone, which is a pain in the a$$ to sign back in, so screw it, I will try to recall my wittiness and publish from my laptop . . .
So anyway, I think I was going to mention about slogging through, yada yada yada, until I got a foothold, yada yada yada, and then changed a few answers, yada yada yada, and how I enjoyed all of the booze-related clues and solves, and how Tinbeni must have really liked this puzzle, yada yada yada.
OK, that's about it!! Why is it we can never remember what we just typed . . . At any rate, my limerick du jour is actually FOR our dear PEER Tinbeni. Several of his favorite libations were mentioned today, and as well, a favorite acronym that just had to be used in my poem . . . enjoy!
With some puzzles, I find them a MESS,
Which increases my level of stress.
So I just take my time,
Sipping VODKAS with LIME,
And sometimes I will take WAG!
Moe has left the building . . .
Good morning everyone.
It was fun getting the bug fill. Got VOLKSWAGON MODEL right away followed by LISTENING DEVISE. That took up some real estate hastening the overall solve. Mucked around with TYGE; dug it out of my brain from long ago, but would have spelled it differently.
GALS - Immediately thought of Yellow Rocks.
RE-UP - Not a Navy term. We use "ship over".
Much fresh fill/ fresh cluing. A fun solve. Thanx, Bruce and Gail.
Great puzzle. I'll watch Jeopardy today and listen for at least three of the answers that were in today's puzzle.
Fun! Fun! Fun!...and the easiest one for me this week. For some reason everything , except accepting hails for flags down,,,an easy one, slipped right into place.I had to finish off Buster Brown's dog with the perps because I thought his name was Tye.
YR, our Canadian Geese do not migrate either, but they are not even leaving the park where they usually come and go during the day. We suddenly realized why on our last walk. They are molting while their babies are getting big enough to fly. So, they can't fly either for about 45 days. I think it must be the same with Penguins . When we saw them in the Falklands, they were also molting and their babies were just little fur balls. I DO realize they don't fly, but it would keep them from swimming away.
Hello Puzzlers -
Pretty much What Spitz Said. Big theme fills really wallpapered a lot of area.
Howdy TTP, when it comes to instrument panels, a lot has been learned since WWII, say. The B-17 had a bewildering array of stuff crammed anywhere the was space, with no regard for human factors. Today's jets have wonderfully clean panels - they're mostly just video displays with carefully designed information layouts.
Hi gang -
Nice puzzle. A little easier than the typical Thus, I thought.
Top half went quick. Slowed down for the rest.
Sussing the theme entries helped.
Much to do today. Gotta run
Cool regards!
JzB
Thanks, Gail and Bruce! This was a fun sashay which brought to mind Yellowrocks at GALS and Tinbeni at the bar with even STOOLS there for comfort.
GATE puzzled me though I confidently filled it. Thanks for 'splaining, Steve. With on M in place IMAN seemed logical as a fashion shoe host but then the unknown EMME emerged. ANNA I knew because I saw her receive an Emmy for her efforts.
In a recent puzzle I saw GLUT as superfluity but with only four letters waited until FRILL blossomed out from the perps.
All together this was a satisfying accomplishment for me and I congratulate the dynamic duo of B & G for another great grid.
Steve, you are in rare form today and made me laugh a few times. However, I will guess you don't cook for a large crowd if you use only a fork and cleaver. I can't imagine mashing five pounds of potatoes with a fork! Remember, I have a very large extended family.
OwenKL:
Superb work today!
I just made flan for a friend who turned 89 and loves it so I'll be gone for most of the day to visit her.
Have a peaceful day, everyone!
Enjoyable. But I got to thinking, if 26D is wordless, how can the answer be a word? I could see if the answer was something like, "nod" or "wave," but "psst" is something one says aloud and it has a conventional spelling. How is it not a word?
Enjoyed puzzle but must comment on steam as a power source. The coal or wood burned to make water into steam is the power source. The steam is a medium to transfer heat energy to kinetic energy-just sayin
Most amusing? TPS - Or so I thought.
I like these multiple-sense themes, using "Bug" as the common word with several meanings. "Cuba libre ingredient" gave us a second chance at a linking theme. I had to scratch my head to remember LIME, as I haven't had the parent drink since Cuba stopped being libre. Not for the sake of political protest, mind you, but because it's not a favorite combo. Give me a good ol' fashioned G&T any day...
Dan Brown @1:22 -
Isn't heat the increasing entropy of the wood or coal molecules, and steam the additional entropy of the H2O? I'm still trying to grasp the concept of entropy, so if you can improve on my description, please do so!
I almost fell off the STOOL reading about Desper-Ottos night sweats. I remember the kids show with Tige. Bedlam ensued when Froggy plucked his magic teacher.
So I said "Yes, RUM not gin. Huh, I thought I answered that. Hmm. Oh yeah, COKE. Something else?". Thanks to Sheldon on tBBS I recalled LIME.
Excellent poesy Owen.
That SB Froggy's Twanger. This thang insists on auto correcting
Nicely done, Bruce & Gail. Thanks for the "definition" puzzle. Always think they are so thoughtful and a bit of a challenge.
Thanks, Steve, for your nice write-up. Have a good time in my old stompin' grounds!
Definitely a Thursday poser, I had to take 3 breaks & a cheat to finish.
(I had to lookup Buster Browns dog, but it was the key to unlocking so many perps...)
Thank you Bruce & Gail for a wonderful diversion from housecleaning...
Speaking of diversions, TTP's post @7:42AM got me sidetracked.
How did this guys house get hit 19 times?
Well, I watched the following video (lot of ads/sorry)
& was worried to hear their cat is missing & feared dead.
noted the government embassy style poles had no affect.
& was amused that his solution is to add a ski jump!
Hmm, I get concerned when the instrument panel is bigger than the window...
listening devices have come a long way...
Uh,,, program fault?
Why I have trouble with doorknobs...
& finally, I can understand reusing old stuff, But Why?
Dan @ 1322 - I think you're being just a bit picky here. The word 'power' is frequently used in the sense of the puzzle clue, ie the prime mover. Before STEAM, the power source of, say, a grist mill, could be oxen. Would you say the source was 'hay'? Similarly, railroaders talk of the front end 'power' on a train. They mean the that it is diesel or steam, or who made the locomotives - GE, or EMD, or whoever. Same with wind power. Would you say the source of wind power generation is the Sun?
I think the clue was clearly stated.
A little crunch but no complaints. Had viral disease instead of illness for a bit but that cleaned right up. And that was that.
I commend Gail and Bruce for another terrific construction. So many neat-o clues and words, even wordless words. Lots of good head scratching and fun.
Spitz @ 3:35, my thoughts exactly. Steam power or powered by steam is in the language. Over thinkng crossword clues and reaching for the esoteric almost never is wortwhile.
Lucina, I, too, pictured mashing 5 pounds of potatoes with a fork. LOL
I am very angry in sympathy for the man whose house was hit 19 times. His local govt is heartless and useless.
Is PSST a word? Too esoteric. I tend to approach crosswords with a light hearted, easygoing approach. Being too technical and pedantic ruins the experience for me.
Looking forward to the weekend and celebrating my older son's birtjday with his family.
What happened to answers after 30 down???
Steve had enough at that point.
The answers after 30D were left off on purpose.
Now you know how much you need this blog.
And besides that, you already got all the fill. Now you just string it together.
I thought it was a paper that was missing from 30-down. I think it was there this morning but I wasn't really awake.
33. Othello or Iago : ROLE. From the play.
34. Hula strings : UKEs
35. Difficult spot : MESS
38. __ carte : À LA
39. Instrument panel array : CONTROLS
41. Cunning : WILES
43. Adjuster's concern : CLAIM
44. Beverages sometimes made from potatoes : VODKAs
45. Archipelago parts : ISLETs
46. Relish : SAVOR
47. Chophouse choice : T-BONE. Nice pairing.
48. Quieted, in a way : OILED
51. Rate : PACE
52. Reason for cold compresses and extra blankets : AGUE
54. Chief god of Asgard : ODIN
55. Literary sea captain : NEMO
56. Large quantity : SLEW
58. Sign of a canine excitement : WAG
59. Bridal bio word : NÉE
Hi All!
WELL, I can't say I STEAM'd through this puzzle. Out of the GATE my PACE was slow going from c->a with lots of WAGs. Middle N & Middle S were the last areas to fall. All HAILS for Bruce & Gail; the puzzle wasn't a BORE(R).
Steve, as always, a fun writeup staring w/ Infinity Loop to illustrate a common programming BUG.
In the SW, I was in DEEP trouble creating my own corner. 46d=ENjOy; 63=year; 47=TBONE; 60=ONEA. That led to eTiols [hand up TTP, I just don't know how to spell it :-)]. In the end all's well - if not a bit inky.
Other WO: I know it was plural but I entered ISLAND.
ESPs: All the names save NEMO.
Fav: The mini(bar) theme!
I'd already filled in RUM and got to 39a and did a "Whaaa? - crud, I entered the clue into the wrong slot." I had to do a triple-take.
Hand up - Thinking of YR @1d and Tin enjoying the booze.
CED - LOL PROGRAM FAULT Fault.
Back to work. Cheers, -T
Wow, you're right about the 30D and after going missing. I swear that they were there the last time I looked! That's never happened before. I blame myself for some idiocy with the editing tool. My apologies! And all my best work was in the last half of the downs.
Bah!
WELL, I've never heard "The dog ate my homework" Steve. :-).
Fuggeddaboutit. Thanks for your Thurs write ups. Cheers, -T
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